Once Lost, Now Found
by Lloyd Irving Aurion
Summary: My take on whatwho Cloud's light actually was. CloTi


Once Lost, Now Found  
  
A/N: After beating Kingdom Hearts, I was a bit more than aggravated at the ending. Actually, the part that really got me upset was the part of the ending that pertained to Cloud. It made absolutely no sense to me that Aerith was made to be the person that Cloud had been looking for all of that time. I mean, come on! She had been in Traverse Town the whole time. Am I the only one that seems to think that that is just an bit odd? Anyway, this is my story of who Cloud was really looking for. WARNING: In order for this to make sense you will have had to have played Final Fantasy VII.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the Final Fantasy series!  
  
***  
  
It had been two weeks since Sora had defeated the Heartless and locked the door to Kingdom Hearts. Two weeks since all of the worlds destroyed by the Heartless had returned. Two weeks since Cid had brought him back to their home world. It had been two weeks since Cloud Strife had given up his search for the one person who could bring his darkened heart back to the light.  
  
At first, Cloud had wanted to continue his search, but Cid had told him that he knew where the one he had been searching for was. What a joke that turned out to be. He had come back with Cid expecting to find the only person that held the key to his heart, only to find Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon waiting for him. Oh, he had been glad enough to see them, but not one of them had been who he had truly wanted to see. There wasn't much that he could say though, he had never made it clear that someone else had taken his heart, and he guessed that he had acted like Aerith had been the one before everything happened.  
  
'I suppose that that is partially why I am still here now,' Cloud thought to himself as he gazed upon the countless stars in the night sky. Aerith and Yuffie had been worried about him. They had had no idea that he had managed to escape the planet just in time. In truth, he hadn't known what had become of them for a month after the attack. Then he had stopped by Traverse Town. It didn't really surprise him that they were there, Traverse Town was the main place that those fortunate enough to escape the Heartless sought shelter at. However, once he found out that he person he was looking for was not there, he had left. They had never known that he had been there.  
  
That had been about nine years ago. "Nine years," he whispered, sadness clearly evident in his voice but completely missing his eyes. "Nine years and I still don't know where you are."  
  
Over the coarse of those nine long years, he had visited countless worlds looking for any sign that might mean that his search was not in vain. Then, somewhere along the way he had been attacked by those damned Heartless. There had just been too many of them. He had been alone and weakened from a run-in with Sephiroth, not that he had lost. No, at that time, he had been Sephiroth's equal in every way. They had also both still had both of their feathery wings. How quickly that had changed though. The bout was over almost as quickly as it had begun. This time though, they had both lost. Cloud had been stripped forever of his right wing, while he had taken off Sephiroth's left wing. After that, they had both run from the other, lest they also lose their other wing. That had been the last time that he had seen the man that he had once idolized. It had also been the day that he had lost the ability to express most emotion. The Heartless had made sure of that. Those creatures had found him in his weakened state and overtook him by their sheer numbers.  
  
He, like everyone else, knew what normally happened when the Heartless got you. But Cloud had never been normal. The Heartless had been unable to take his heart, so they changed him into what he was now. They had made his remaining wing leathery and bat-like and they had also made his eyes lose their Mako induced glow along with his ability to use all Materia. The change had also taken all but a fraction of his former power, power that he would never regain unless he was able to find his light.  
  
"Cloud," called a voice from behind him. Turning his head, he saw that it was Aerith. "It's late Cloud," she told him. "You need to get some rest."  
  
"Yeah," said the ex-SOLDIER in an apathetic voice. "I guess I do."  
  
"She'll come back, you know," she said to him as he stood up from where he had been setting.  
  
"I wish that I could be so sure," he replied in the same dull voice, before retreating back inside the castle, not bothering to even say good night.  
  
"Oh, Cloud," whispered Aerith. "Why do these things always happen to you?" she asked no one in particular before she, too, went back inside the castle.  
  
Cloud awoke the next morning from a dreamless, fitful sleep. The same sleep that he had been having since he had been changed. Unlike all of those other days though, today felt different. He knew that something, good or bad, would happen. Something that would drastically change things. Not wanting to waste any time, he quickly got out of bed and went to take a short shower. Minutes later, he was drying off. Once he was dry, he willed his clothes to reappear on him. That was one of the only things that was good about his change. It was easy to get dressed.  
  
Retuning to his room, he grabbed his Buster Sword II, secured it on his back, and proceeded to go to the kitchen for some breakfast. On his way to the kitchen the feeling that he had woken up with began to grow stronger and stronger, and it was telling him to go outside. Deciding to skip breakfast, Cloud pulled out his Buster Sword II and let this feeling lead him.  
  
Cloud exited the castle just as the familiar sounds of a Gummi ship became audible. It wasn't long until the ship itself became visible. That feeling was also continuing to grow with every passing second. By the time that the Gummi ship was landing the feeling had grown almost unbearable. Then, it was gone, as if it had never been there. With its departure though, came an new feeling, one that spoke of a presence that Cloud had not been around in over nine years. And he could all ready feel his heart beginning to be flooded with the light that he had had stolen from him so long ago. Then, with the opening of the cockpit, she came.  
  
Tifa Lockheart was back on her home world. Oh, how she hoped that he was here. She had been looking for so long. She had gone from world to world looking for him. Hoping at every stop that she would find some trace of him, something that would tell her that he was safe. Then, just days ago, she had found her first lead. Someone had said that they had seen a man similar to what she described at the Coliseum recently. Filled with renewed hope, she flew off to the Coliseum. There, she had met two men who had confirmed what she had been told. He had been there. But wasn't anymore. They had said that a well-built, foul-mouthed, cigarette smoking man had come and had taken him back to what they assumed to be his home world. So, once again, Tifa was off. This time though, she was bound for home. And here she was, finally back on her home world.  
  
Cloud was nervous. His hands were sweating, his mouth was dry, and his heart was beating so fast that he was sure that it would burst. She was finally back. Even though he still had not actually seen her yet he knew that it was her. And then she stood up.  
  
'Gods she's beautiful,' Cloud thought to himself, not being able to do anything but stare at the girl in the ship. He tried several times to call out to her, to bring her attention upon himself, but every time that he opened his mouth to speak nothing came out. Then, after what seemed like an eternity to Cloud, she turned and looked right at him.  
  
Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at the person standing near the entrance to the castle. 'He's here,' she said to herself. 'He's really here," she thought, while unrelenting joy cascaded through her body.  
  
They stood there staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours until something inside Tifa broke. "CLOUD!" she cried out, jumping down from her Gummi ship and running towards the man that she had been in love with for so long now.  
  
When she cried out his name, Cloud's body took over and he raced to the girl that he had been looking for so hard. The next thing that his mind was able to register was that she was in his arms. He had gotten to her so quickly that he had actually caught her on her way down from her ship.  
  
She had wrapped herself around him the instant he had caught her. Her arms were wound tightly around his neck, while her legs locked themselves around his waist. Burying her face into his chest, Tifa let the tears that had built up in her eyes fall and began whispering his name over and over.  
  
With his left arm tightly securing her to him, he started stroking her hair with his right hand. All the while whispering encouraging words like "shh, it's all right" "I'm here" and "I've missed you so much".  
  
Neither was sure how long they stayed in that position, but when Tifa finally lifted her tear-stained face and their eyes met, time just seemed to stop and everything but them disappeared. Slowly, their faces began to draw closer, and when their lips met it was everything that they had ever hoped it would be.  
  
The kiss was soft and gentle, each allowing the other to see just how much love they held for held them. Cloud could feel his former power returning to him. He could feel his wing growing and becoming feathery once again. He could also feel the Materia that rested in his Buster Sword II reacting to the Mako energy in his body. Those things, however, were nothing compared to the feelings of love that Tifa was sending him.  
  
After several minutes Cloud and Tifa were forced to break their kiss for air. Upon breaking the kiss, Cloud rested his forehead against Tifa's and stared into her beautiful crimson eyes. In her eyes Cloud could see all the love that he knew his own eyes were now finally able to mirror.  
  
Tifa's mind was elated. She could see Cloud's love in his glowing, blue eyes. How she loved those eyes. She knew that if she wanted too, she could lose herself in his eyes. And they were glowing again, unlike before their kiss. 'I have to ask about that,' she told herself. But that could wait, right now all she wanted to do was tell him just how much he meant to her. Her thoughts, however, were broken by the sound of Cloud's voice.  
  
"Tifa," he said, slightly above a whisper. "There's something that I have to tell you," he added in a gentle voice that spoke volumes to Tifa.  
  
"Me too, Cloud," she told him, speaking in the same type of voice that he had. "But you can go first, I suppose," she added cheekily with a huge grin plastered across her face.  
  
"All right then," he replied superiorly, chuckling at her playful remark. "I love you Tifa Locheart. I have for a long time," he said, his voice reverting back to what it had been only moments ago.  
  
Fresh tears sprang to her eyes at his admonition and she whispered, "Oh Cloud, I love you too."  
  
With those words, Cloud could feel the last of the darkness in his heart vanish. His light had returned, and as long as he had Tifa, it would never be lost again.  
  
***  
  
A/N: Well, there it is. I hope you liked it, and if you didn't then oh well. I don't know if anyone else has ever done this story, or any part of it. If someone has, then I'm sorry. I plead ignorance. Oh, in case any of you are wondering, I made up the Buster Sword II. It looks just like the Buster Sword, but is stronger than his Ultima Weapon and holds four more slots of linked Materia. If you have any questions, please feel free to e- mail me. My address is on my bio page. Please Review! 


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